Foundation garment



April 22, 1941. c. BULLINGER FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Dec. 18,, 1939 IN VENT OR.

ATTORNEYS I Con/ adi? Patented Apr. 22, 1941 FOUNDATTGN GARMENT Conrad Bullinger,

Stein & Company, Chicago, Ill.,-a

of Illinois Riverside, 111., assignor to A.

corporation 3 Claims.

In garments of the type referred to, it has been more or less customary to provide a slit in a 1 side of the garment, usually extending from the top edge of the b-rassiere part or bust section downwardly to a point somewhat below the hip bone covering area of the garment. It has long been recognized that it is objectionable to provide a line of opening with its accompanying slide fastener or other closing means at the side of the garment where it would extend over that portion of the hip bone which has the greatest projection, wherefore it has been more or less common to locate the slit somewhat forwardly of such objectionable side location. In such forward location the slim line with its stiffness-producing fastening means avoids the most prominent part of the hip bone and the fastening means is somewhat easier to manipulate. The forward location referred to, however, has resulted in a chopping off of an end portion of the bust section of the brassire with consequent impairment of the normal bust-following lines of the bust section of the garment.

In garments constructed as aforesaid, for the purpose of reducing as much as possible the impairment of the bust conforming characteristics of garments, it has been the practice to keep the location of the slit or opening in the garment body part as far as possible to the side without actually positioning such slit over middle or zone of greatest projection of the hip bone of the wearer. Stated in another way, it has been necessary to avoid locating the body part slit or opening too far forwardly so as to avoid excessive shortening or severance of the bust supporting part of the garment.

Incident to the severance or cutting off of one end of the bust section in construction of the slit in the body part of the garment, it has also been necessary to correspondingly out off the opposite end to obtain the symmetry of garment lines required for saleability of the garment. Hence, in garments of the type referred to, the bust section has been unsatisfactory because of its termination over the bust instead of at the sides thereof, with attendant seams or slide fasteners extending across the bust, and its incidental inability to smoothly and comfortably cover, support and conform to natural bust lines.

The object of the present invention is to provide a garment of the character indicated. wherein the slit or opening in the body part of the garment may be located well forwardly from the sides of the garment and wherein the above indicated impairment of the brassiere structure is avoided; to provide such a garment wherein the brassiere part extends substantially toward the sides of the garment beyond the slit line in the body part of the garment; to provide such a garment which may be opened up to the same full extent as the conventional prior art garments; and in general, it is the object of the invention to provide an improved garment of the character indicated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawing wherein there is illustrated a garment embodying a selected form of the invention.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective illustratingthe improved garment as worn; and

Figure 2 is a perspective showing the improved garment opened up. 7

Referring now to the drawing, the improved garment therein disclosed comprises a body part 3 and a brassiere part which in this instance embodies two bust pockets A, 4, formed of suitable fabric and each permanently stitched along its lower edge 5 to the upper edge of the front 6 of the body part of the garment. Suitable shoulder straps l, 'l are provided as is customary,

The materials of which the various parts of the garment are made is of no great importance, but by way of example, the garment herein illustrated has its body part 3 formed with its central front panel 6 of inelastic woven fabric. At the lower end of the front panel there are horizontally elastic woven material inserts 3, 8. The side portions 9, 9 are formed of elastic material which may be stretched both vertically and horizontally, and the back H] of the earment is formed of woven material which is vertically elastic. The side panels 9 are preferably of fabric which is open or porous. The various kinds of fabric employed may, of course, be changed to suit any particular style 01' design of garment or other requisites.

As shown, the garment herein contemplated is provided with a slide fastener arrangement I I for closing a slit l2 in the body of the garment, the

slit being located at the junction of one side edge of the central panel 6 and a side panel 9. It will also be observed that the slit or opening is so located that it intersects one of the brassiere pockets 4 well forwardly of the adjacent side or end of the bust section. The slit or opening in the garment must extend, of course, to the upper edge of the garment and in order to avoid chopping oif of the overlying brassire section by continuation of the slit l2 upwardly to the top edge of the brassiere section, the slit [2 terminates at its upper end at the line of juncture between the lower edge of the brassiere section and the upper edge of the body part of the garment. The lower outer or side edge portion I 3 of the brassire section between the upper end of the slit I 2 and the end I4 of the brassiere section is provided with a separable connection to the adjacent upper edge portion l5 of the side panel 9 of the body part of the garment. In this instance the detachable connecting means is illustrated as a series of hooks l6 and eyes H, but other suitable detachable fastening devices may, of course, be substituted.

One part of the garment, preferably the side part 9, carries a flap I8 which extends across the opening or slit between the connected parts and serves to protect thebody of the wearer from contact with the metallic fastening devices. Suitable detachable auxiliary fastening devices such as hooks l9 and eyes 20 may be provided in association with the slide fastener I l to facilitate operation of the latter as recommended and sometimes required by the manufacturers of such slide fasteners.

By the arrangement above described, the brassire part may be made of full length, avoiding seams or other objectionable construction extending across the bust area, and so formed as to closely conform. to the natural shape of the bust area, and the periphery of the bust pockets 4, particularly their lower edges, may continue in full conformity to the natural lines of junction of the breasts with the body on both sides of the garment, notwithstanding the presence of the forwardly disposed slit l2 in the body part of the garment.

The described construction is to be understood as being typical of constructions embodying the present invention and it will be apparent that changes may be made to adapt the improved construction to various types, styles and sizes of garments while retaining the improvement described. The scope of the invention should therefore be determined by reference to the following claims so construed as to refer to the improved feature herein described rather than to any specific details of body or brassire section construction or fabrics.

I claim:

1. A womens garment of the character described, comprising a body part and a bust section, the brassiere part being formed independently of the body part and having pocketed members provided with lower rounded edges adapted to substantially conform to the natural line of junction between the breasts and the chest, said members being of such horizontal dimensions as to provide full coverage for the breasts and said lower edges extending well upwardly at the outer sides of the breasts in continuing conformity to said line of junction, said members being permanently secured along said lower edges to the said body part of the garment but one of said members having an outer portion of its lower edge detachably connected to said body part so as to permit separation of the corresponding end portion of the bust section from the body part, the body part having a slit extending downwardly from a point adjacent the inner end of said detachably connected edge portion in the line of attachment between the bust section and body part, and means for detachably connecting the portions of said body part on opposite sides of said slit, said slit and detachable connection permitting opening of the garment so as to facilitate the putting on or removal of the garment.

2. A foundation garment comprising a. body part and a bust part, said bust part having its lower edge united to the upper edge of said body part, the union between said body part and bust section including a permanently united section and a readily detachable end section, said detachable end section of the union extending inwardly from one end of the bust section to a point well forward in the garment, said body part being provided with a slit extending downwardly from the inner end of said detachable section, said slit and said detachable section being angularly disposed relative to each other and said slit being located well forwardly in said body part so as to be disposed forwardly of the normal line of major hip bone prominence of the wearer of the garment, and readily operable means for normally detachably connecting the portions of the garment body on opposite sides of said slit.

3. A womens garment of the character described comprising a body part and a bust section, the latter being of such horizontal dimension as to provide substantially full coverage for the breasts and having its lower edge shaped to extend well upwardly at the outer sides of the breasts, said bust section being permanently secured along the major portion of its lower edge to said body part but having one end portion separable from the garment from the end of the bust section to a point well forward in the garment, the body part having a slit extending downwardly from said forwardly disposed point, and readily operable means for normally detachably connecting said separable bust section portion to the adjacent portion of said body part and the portions of said body part on opposite sides of said slit, said slit and separable portion of the bust section providing a continuous line of separation permitting opening of the garment so as to facilitate the putting on or removal of the garment.

CONRAD BULLINGER.

, v v v CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION; 7 Patent No; 2,239,217; April 22 19m.

7 T v I v CONRAD- BULLINGER. It-ia hgsz eby certified that bfrdrppears in the printed specification ofithebpfiemmubeyed patent requiring correcti oh as follows: Page 2, first .co lumngvllih-e' 63, laiin 1, for the words "bra'ssire part" z=eaui'--bust sec? I 'ti b ng and tha'tth said Letters Patent should b e read with this corrcti on therein that the same. may conforgfn to the record ofthe case in the Patent Office Signed and segldfhisiith day of June A, D.19i 1.-

. Henry Van Arsdaie I (Seal) Acting; Commissioner of 1 atents. I 

